Mark Bittner RIP

dennishasdoneit said:
A blast from the past. Port Vale away fa cup under Peter Reid springs to mind ,we had a good drink in his boozer pre match. ,my first ever trip to the Vale,I remember the warm hospitality he gave for the supporters club,I can still remember being impressed by the organization.of Anita Britton who said "we've gorra pub sorted,port Vale, it's Mark Bittner. I knew then he was a name.
Really good pre match drink,top day out.
RIP Mark.
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Funnily enough, that was my first visit to Port Vale too. Went on the special so we didn't stop off at Mark's pub. It would be another 5 or 6 years before we went. Ended up going a few times with the Leve Blues - and also when my mate organised a coach - en route to Port Vale and Stoke. I think we also stopped there when we went to Crewe on Boxing Day 1997 even though it was probably a good 10 miles or so past Crewe!

RIP to a true Kippax legend
 
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M18CTID said:
Funnily enough, that was my first visit to Port Vale too. Went on the special so we didn't stop off at Mark's pub. It would be another 5 or 6 years before we went. Ended up going a few times with the Leve Blues and - and also when my mate organised a coach - en route to Port Vale and Stoke. I think we even stopped there when we went to Crewe on Boxing Day 1997 even though it was probably a good 10 miles or so past Crewe!

RIP to a true Kippax legend
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Crewe boxing day .....I remember being at Crewe and drinking pre match in a pub when someone walked in and said it's off,waterlogged pitch.not sure if it was boxing day ..went a few times back in the day
In them days,my City mental days ,it was as tho someone had put a dagger thru the heart
Atmosphere immediately dropped to the floor.....proper empty feeling .
I used to hate matches getting called off.
 
dennishasdoneit said:
Crewe boxing day .....I remember being at Crewe and drinking pre match in a pub when someone walked in and said it's off,waterlogged pitch.not sure if it was boxing day ..went a few times back in the day
In them days,my City mental days ,it was as tho someone had put a dagger thru the heart
Atmosphere immediately dropped to the floor.....proper empty feeling .
I used to hate matches getting called off.
Click to expand...
Not sure if it was the same game but we were in the Railway Pub near Gresty Road around 1pm on the last Saturday before Christmas in 2001-02 when a Policewoman walked in and calmly announced that the game had been postponed.

There was an air of general disbelief, not so much that the weather conditions didn't seem that bad, but more that she was quite attractive and we all thought that she was a strippergram.
 
I know he was involved in the Swales out protests. Did he try to become the ‘Fan on the board’ in the 1990’s? I definitely remember his name in the fanzines and the Manchester Evening News during that tumultuous time.

I recognise his face and his number plates at away games but didn’t know him to talk to.

Was he quite handy back in the day?

Sincerest condolences to his family. We’ve definitely lost another dyed in the wool Blue and a real character by all accounts.
 
dennishasdoneit said:
Crewe boxing day .....I remember being at Crewe and drinking pre match in a pub when someone walked in and said it's off,waterlogged pitch.not sure if it was boxing day ..went a few times back in the day
In them days,my City mental days ,it was as tho someone had put a dagger thru the heart
Atmosphere immediately dropped to the floor.....proper empty feeling .
I used to hate matches getting called off.
Click to expand...
I remember it too because I was about to turn off the M6 and it was clear and frosty and it came over the radio that it was a frozen pitch, not waterlogged. Definitely around Christmas but may bave been a day or so ater boxing day.
 
The last few times I've seen him was in the Costa in Tesco at East Didsbury.
 
TheGhost said:
I know he was involved in the Swales out protests. Did he try to become the ‘Fan on the board’ in the 1990’s? I definitely remember his name in the fanzines and the Manchester Evening News during that tumultuous time.

I recognise his face and his number plates at away games but didn’t know him to talk to.

Was he quite handy back in the day?

Sincerest condolences to his family. We’ve definitely lost another dyed in the wool Blue and a real character by all accounts.
Click to expand...
That was also my recollection as his name appeared regularly in the fanzines during the late 80s and early 90s

I always got the impression that one of the main reasons why Noel Bayley attended the club AGMs was the opportunity to see Mark in full flow.

However when the internet and Bluemoon emerged it was obvious from some of the Terrace Characters/Hooliganism threads that Mark had been a famous face from previous decades.

Fast forward to the 90s and 00s and adverts for his pubs and overseas bars started appearing in the match programme.

Truly City till I Die!
 
Remember him at Chelsea in the ECWC semifinal around 1970, we didn’t take that many and the Chelsea fans were quickly on us but iirc Mark was on crutches and was waving them at them.

RIP Blue
 
Many memories of him, maybe one not known was his short stint as a Barman in the Dive Bar under the Piccadilly Hotel. Bumped into him from time to time over the years. Always a character.
RIP Mark.
 
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